1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an adsorbent, its preparation and an air conditioner.
2. Description of Related Art
An adsorptive-type refrigeration apparatus which has an adsorbing core with an adsorbent for adsorbing water by being chilled and for desorbing water by being heated, and which has an evaporative condenser for evaporating and condensing water is known in the art.
In such a refrigeration apparatus, when water is adsorbed by an adsorbing core, water is vaporized in the evaporative condenser. On this occasion, the inside air is chilled by circulating the heat exchanging fluid, which is heat-exchanged with water in the evaporative condenser, to the inside heat exchanger. Further, the adsorbing core which has the adsorbed water is heated to desorb water so as to be generated. At this time, the desorbed water is condensed in the evaporative condenser.
When such an adsorptive-type refrigeration apparatus is installed in the automotive and the like, engine coolant water (about 90xc2x0 C.), for example, is used as the heating source to desorb water from the adsorbing core. On the other hand, as the cooling source to chill the adsorbing core so as to adsorb water, for example, engine coolant water (about 30xc2x0 C.) which is chilled in the outside heat exchanger or the heat exchanging fluid which is chilled by low-side water (e.g. about 20xcx9c25xc2x0 C.) of a vapor compressive-type refrigeration cycle separately accommodated, is used. For that, when the above-mentioned adsorptive-type refrigeration is applied to an automotive air conditioner, desorbing and adsorbing of water are carried out at relative humidity ranging from 0.08 to 0.30 in the neighborhood of the adsorbent.
As the adsorbent used in such an adsorptive-type refrigeration apparatus, for example, silica gel, which is obtained by firing silicic oxide, has been used.
However, when zeolite is used as an adsorbent material, it is necessary to be heated up to about 400xc2x0 C. at atmospheric pressure in order to desorb water adsorbed.
Therefore, when the adsorptive-type refrigeration apparatus is stalled in an automotive and the like, there existed a problem in that it is difficult to obtain the heating source for generating the adsorbent.
Further, when above-mentioned silica gel is used as the adsorbent, its pore size has a wide pore size distribution ranging 1.0xcx9c15 nm, but pore volume at pore size of 1.0xcx9c1.6 nm is small, that is 0.05 cm3/g.
Therefore, there also existed a problem in that it is difficult to obtain the sufficient latent heat of vaporization from the heat exchanging fluid passing the evaporative condenser because insufficient adsorption of water is carried out in the above-mentioned region of low humidity.
For this reason, increased amount of silica gel in the adsorbing core requires to be packed for sufficient cooling capacity to chill the inside. Consequently, there existed a problem in that the adsorbing core becomes to be of larger size, so is not good for stalling in an automotive.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adsorbent, which can amply desorb and adsorb water to cool the inside even in the region of low humidity in the neighborhood of the adsorbent, its preparation and an air conditioner.
In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adsorbent which desorbs water by being heated and adsorbs water by being chilled, comprising; a porous body having pore volume of not less than 0.2 cm3/g at pore size from 0.6nm to 1.6 nm.
In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adsorbent which desorbes water when heated and adsorbs water when chilled, said adsorbent being a porous complex comprising an organic compound which is phase transitionable for sol-gel by temperature changes and an ignorgabic compound which has a three-dimensional network structure, and said organic compound is dispersed in said structure.
In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for producing an adsorbent comprising the step of: gelating a metallic compound by hydrolysis and polycondensation;
polymerizing a monomer containing carbon-carbon multiple bonds in the same reaction system as this to form an inorganic-organic complex where a resulting polymer is uniformly dispersed in a three-dimensional micro network structure of a metallic oxide gel formed by said hydrolysis; and removing said polymer from said inorganic complex to obtain a porous body.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner, comprising:
a radiator for chilling the heat exchanging fluid; an adsorbing core having an adsorbent which adsorbs water chilled by the heat exchanging fluid which is chilled in said radiator, and which desorbs water when heated by heating means;
an evaporative condenser which evaporates water when water is adsorbed by said adsorbing core, and which condenses water when water is desorbed by said adsorbing core;
and an inside heat exchanger for heat exchanging between the inside air and the heat exchanging fluid chilled by being taken the latent heat of evaporation in said evaporative condenser when water is adsorbed by said adsorbing core;
characterized in that the adsorbent according to claim 1 is used as said adsorbent.
In a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner, comprising: an adsorbing core having an adsorbent; a temperature controller for controlling temperature of said adsorbing core; an evaporative condenser; an inside heat exchanger; a communicating section;
and a circulating passage for circulating the heat exchanging fluid between said evaporative condenser and said inside exchanger;
characterized in that said adsorbent has properties which it desorbs water when heated, and which it adsorbs water when chilled;
said evaporative condenser evaporates water when water is adsorbed by said adsorbing core, and condenses water when water is desorbed;
said heat exchanging fluid is chilled by being taken the latent heat of evaporation in said evaporative condenser when water is evaporated to be heat-changed with the inside air in said inside heat exchanger.
said evaporative condenser evaporates water when water is adsorbed by said adsorbing core, and condenses water when water is desorbed;
said heat exchanging fluid is chilled by being taken the latent heat of evaporation in said evaporative condenser when water is evaporated to be heat-changed with the inside air in said inside heat exchanger;
and the adsorbent according to claim 1 is used as said adsorbent.